There are many times when I need to quickly create and share some narrated slides with my students in lieu of or outside of class. Whether it was because of a snow day or because a student missed a class session, I’ve used a number of different tools to create audio or video recordings of slide presentations. QuickTime Recorder, Screenflow, or Camtasia all work well as screen capture tools. They each offer a different level of customization and flexibility for recording what’s on your screen, and potentially video of the speaker as well. A new free download from Microsoft called Office Mix offers some interesting potential benefits for faculty in creating and sharing screen casts. Office Mix is a free plug-in for PowerPoint 2013 on the Windows platform that enables not only screen recording, but also some interactive quiz features that can serve to make the content more interactive for students. Please check out the quick demo video below to see if Office Mix might meet your needs for online or blended courses.

How have you or might you use a tool like Office Mix to substitute or supplement your face-to-face teaching?Please post your comments below.

There seems to be a considerable amount of discussion about student note taking recently in the blogosphere. Several pieces have explored whether students should take notes on their computers or on paper (like here and here). Others have explored the expectations that some students have about the professors providing them with handouts and other materials. I've even explored the possible benefits of outlawing digital devices during class on this blog.

In this post, I'd like to explore the topic from a little bit of a different angle. As a former high school history teacher, I was always intrigued by different formats for note-taking - particularly those that went beyond the typical bulleted or outline list of ideas. In this post, I'll briefly share three different note-taking strategies that challenge students to use a different part of their brains than the typical approach to taking notes.

Interactive Notebooks When I was a high school teacher, this was my go-to strategy. It's a simple concept. The students lay out a spiral notebook on their desks. The left hand page is used to capture traditional format notes in bulleted or outline format. At strategic points in class, though, I would stop and challenge the students to read back through the notes they'd taken to that point and use the right-hand page to develop a non-linguistic representation of the ideas. It could be in the form of a cartoon, a diagram or sketch, or even the development of some kind of visual metaphor. It wasn't important to me what form this side of the page took - only that the students would have to review and process the information they had taken down to that point. This is most easily done in analog format with a spiral notebook. A similar process could probably be achieved on a computer or tablet, but I'm not sure how great an idea this would be.

Mind maps Another visual approach to note-taking is through the strategic use of mind maps. Mind maps are essentially visual representations of how ideas or concepts connect or relate. I addressed this topic briefly in an earlier post on providing students with multiple means of action and expression. Timelines, flow-charts, organizational charts, and Venn diagrams are all examples of mind maps. I've also had students develop character webs as a way to conceptualize a person's achievements or contributions to a particular field. This approach can be very helpful when relationships between ideas are key. This approach only works well with certain types of content, though, and probably wouldn't be productive as a general note-taking strategy. In specific instances, however, it can be very helpful to increase student understanding. This is an approach that can be done well in digital or analog form. One potential advantage of using a tool in digital form like Mindmeister is that ideas can easily be reorganized and categorized by dragging content around the screen. This is much more difficult using paper and pencil since you have to erase and re-write elements if they need to be moved. Another advantage of using a digital tool is that maps can be developed and expanded over time and in collaborative fashion.

Sketchnotes The last approach I'll touch on was developed by Mike Rohde to combine text and visual elements in a form he calls Sketchnoting. Full disclosure, I have limited experience with this approach myself and I've never tried it with students. It's interesting and intriguing enough, though, that I thought it was worth sharing. In Sketchnoting, the student would start from a central idea and sketch out from there. So, if the focus of a particular class is on the concept of "liberty," the student would start with this word in bold type in the center of the page. From there, she can add in definitional elements, examples and non-examples, key proponents of liberty, etc. around the edges. More important concepts are emphasized with bolder, larger, or darker text. Simple drawings or images can also help to draw attention to certain points. This creative format can challenge students to continually process and prioritize information as they encounter new ideas. Sketchnoting can be accomplished with both paper/pencil as well as with a tablet and stylus. For more on Sketchnoting, check out the Sketchnote Handbook, the Sketchnote Workbook, and examples via the Sketchnote Army.

So, perhaps rather than debating digital vs. analog note taking, an even more nuanced conversation might be to explore different approaches or strategies that fit well with different types of course content. I think that these approaches connect well with Universal Design for Learning (UDL) - particularly providing students with options for action and expression. I think these can also be great ways to support students' construction of knowledge. It may also be helpful in encouraging metacognition when you encourage students to be mindful about the strategies they use to capture and process new concepts and ideas they encounter in class and in readings.

What note taking strategies have you found to be effective with your students? What challenges have you encountered?Please post your comments below.

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Years ago when I was teaching high school U.S. History, I had a challenging student in my class – let’s call him “Michael”. I could tell that he was a bright kid, but I couldn’t get him to really engage with the course content, discussions, projects, and especially tests. To make matters worse, he was a natural leader. Unfortunately, because he wasn’t engaged, this meant that his apathy was contagious. It wasn’t until one day that I noticed him doodling on his desk that I was able to reach him. Rather than simple graffiti on the desktop, he had drawn what I would characterize as a very insightful political cartoon, connecting a course topic (I can’t remember what now) with current events. I came to find out that he had a notebook full of similar kinds of doodles. As time went on, I subtly tried to encourage Michael to continue his drawings and to share them with me. We had several conversations after class about what he found interesting – always with a focus on connecting what we were learning inclass to issues and events that were important to him. By the end of the year, he would regularly share some of his drawings with the rest of the class. He once even gave a mini lecture on a topic he was particularly interested in. What was the difference? He became engaged in the learning process. I was able to tap into his interests and encourage him to make the learning relevant. As discussed in the initial post in the series, Universal Design for Learning (UDL) provides a framework to help educators consider ways to engage diverse learners with course content and experiences. The UDL Center offers three principles to accomplish this challenging approach: provide multiple means of representation, multiple means of action and expression, and multiple means of engagement. In the last two posts in the series, I explored principle 1 and principle 2. In this post, we tackle the final principle – multiple means of engagement.Increasing student engagement The Center for Applied Special Technology (CAST) outlines three strategies for educators to use to provide multiple means of engagement:

provide options for sustaining effort and persistence, including varying the demands and resources to optimize challenge while fostering collaboration and communication

provide options for self-regulation, including helping students to self-assess, reflect on their work, and develop personal coping skills and strategies

You may see connections here with the first two UDL principles. This principle often works in concert with the other principles to not only support, but engage students in their learning. Building on a previous post related to student engagement, the following strategies offer additional means to engage students in their learning.5 strategies to provide multiple means of action and expression

Connect course topics with bigger ideasAt times, we don’t explicate how specific course topics connect with bigger ideas. This prevents students from seeing the forest for the trees – and may present a barrier to the students engaging in the topic. If we can tie topics to the big ideas, controversies, challenges, and impact areas of our discipline, students will be more likely to buy in.

Create ties between the course and the real worldSimilar to the first point, students aren’t always able to see how course topics connect to the real world. Through explicit connections to real world issues and concerns, and more importantly, when we ask students to make these connections in their assignments and projects, they are drawn in to the experience. Problem-based learning, case studies, and service learning experiences are all powerful pedagogical strategies to bring this to life in and outside the classroom.

Increase course relevance through student choiceIt is easier to invest in and expend more effort in learning when the learning is personally relevant. The more that we can provide students with choice in their learning, the more engaged they will become. Through choices related to research topics, tools to organize and share their understanding, and the process in which they complete their work, students will find the course more relevant.

Leverage self- and peer-assessmentNot only is self-regulation a key 21st century skill, it can help students to engage with and improve their learning. When students are prompted in structured ways (e.g., using a rubric) to assess their own work, they can begin to identify and work on their weaknesses and capitalize on their strengths. When you add in peer-assessment to the mix, students can be motivated to an even greater extent.

Consider badges in your courses to increase active participationThe gamification of higher education is a controversial idea, but one worth exploring in my opinion. The idea of creating and recognizing achievements in a course or program through digital badges or some other form of recognition can be highly motivating for students. This approach draws on our students’ interests and motivation outside of school to increase engagement and motivation in learning. While challenging to implement, this approach can help students sustain effort and persistence over time.

While engagement is clearly important, the specific strategies can be harder to put your arms around. These guidelines from the UDL framework can help to provide some concrete directions to draw more of the “Michael’s” of the world into the learning experience.How do you try to draw students into the learning experience in your courses?Please post your comments below.

My high school English teachers helped me build confidence in my writing. While handling course material in my undergraduate program challenged me, I was at least confident and proficient in my ability to express my ideas in writing. For many students, however, written work may not allow students to accurately convey their mastery of course content. With the increasing availability of digital tools that enable students to create content in multiple forms, why not expand the means by which students can present their work? As discussed in the initial post in the series, Universal Design for Learning (UDL) provides a framework to help educators consider ways to engage diverse learners with course content and experiences. The UDL Center offers three principles to accomplish this challenging approach: provide multiple means of representation, multiple means of action and expression, and multiple means of engagement. In the second post in the series, I explored principle 1. In this post, we tackle principle 2 – multiple means of action and expression. Flexibility in engagement and productionThe Center for Applied Special Technology (CAST) outlines three strategies for educators to use to provide multiple means of action and expression:

provide options for expression and communication, including different mediums for students to present their ideas (writing, blogging, video, concept maps, artwork, etc.)

provide options for executive functions, including strategies for students to monitor their own work and metacognition

Used in isolation or combination, these three strategies can remove potential barriers for students and help them understand new ideas more clearly.5 strategies to provide multiple means of action and expression

Provide students with divergent opportunities to explore conceptsIn my own teaching, I have a tendency to think of myself as the sole curator of course content. My selection of texts and readings guides student work. In reality, though, students often find very interesting and rich resources on their own. Why not build in the expectation that students will be more active in exploring course concepts on their own? Perhaps by requiring students to not only read the required materials in the syllabus in preparation for class, they can also identify a complementary reading, video, or other resource that they could either contribute to the class or at least summarize. This active exploration both encourages students’ ownership of their learning, but also helps them to develop those critical lateral thinking skills.

VideoYoung adults are creating, sharing, remixing and commenting on video in their personal and social lives at an amazing rate (reference). Why not leverage this natural interest in the service of learning? Perhaps rather than writing a persuasive essay or report, students could have the option to convey their understanding through a video that they create? The work could be assessed using the same standards for written work (e.g., quality of evidence, clarity of thinking, etc.) but would serve to open up an option that students might find more engaging or compelling. The ability to share their work online can provide significant additional motivation for producing high quality work.

Challenge students to create non-linguistic representationsImages, charts, and diagrams can all provide rich and divergent ways for students to express their understanding. This can be done in pen and ink, but also in a digital format. Concept maps provide opportunities for students to illuminate how concepts are organized or connected. As I noted in the last post, one of my favorite Web-based tools to create concept maps is Mindmeister which enables the collaborative development of concept maps. These concept maps can be printed or submitted electronically through a learning management system.

Guided research supportResearch is a critical skill in any discipline. And while students are often engaged in research projects beginning in elementary school, they are often so structured and supported before they arrive in college that they may not have confidence in planning, organizing, and seeing their work through to completion. One strategy that can be very effective to help students develop these critical self-regulation skills is in what I would call guided research support. I’ll go more in depth with this in a future post, but the core idea is to give students broad guidelines, but have them wrestle with fleshing out the detailed process. Along the way I provide them with guidance to help them clarify their thinking. Rather than providing them a clear blueprint, though, I give them nudges as they struggle to make sense of the process for themselves. Shared OneNote notebooks can be a really efficient and effective process for this two-way dialogue on process.

Learning logsLearning logs are a less structured way for students to monitor their thinking, capture questions as they attend lectures or complete course readings. It’s important that the students choose the format, tools and approach to this kind of learning diary. They have to enjoy the process to get the most out of it. It might be in a nice Moleskine notebook, through a Web log or even an audio recorder on their phone. The important thing is that they learn to process their thinking in the learning process.

There is nearly no limit to ways that students can express their understanding and learning to monitor their own thinking and work. The ideas expressed here merely scratch the surface. I hope, though, that they get you thinking about what might work to support the students in your courses. What strategies do you use to provide students with multiple ways to express their understanding or take control of their learning?Please post your comments below.